DownloadThe Portobello Bookshop Gift Guide 2024

A Theory of ISIS

Political Violence and the Transformation of the Global Order

Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Pluto Press

Published:20th Nov '17

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

This hardback is available in another edition too:

A Theory of ISIS cover

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria has been the subject of intense scrutiny in the West. Considered by many to be the most dangerous terrorist organisation in the world, it has become shrouded in numerous myths and narratives, many emanating from the US, which often fail to grasp its true nature.

Against these narratives, Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou presents a bold new theory of ISIS. By tracing its genealogy and documenting its evolution in Iraq and Syria, he argues that ISIS has transcended Osama Bin Laden’s original project of Al Qaeda, mutating into an unprecedented hybrid form that distils postcolonial violence, postmodernity and the emerging post-globalisation international order.

This book analyses ISIS from a social sciences perspective and unpacks its dynamics by looking beyond superficial questions such as its terrorist nature and religious rhetoric. It transforms our understanding of ISIS and its profound impact on the very nature of contemporary political violence.

'The first serious attempt at understanding a global calamity brewed in the counter-revolutionary mobilisation against the graceful rise and spectacular spread of Arab revolutions. A groundbreaking work of political theory' -- Professor Hamid Dabashi, Columbia University, author of Authority in Islam
'Objective and insightful ... Essential reading for those interested not only in ISIS but also what may follow' -- Professor Gareth Stansfield, University of Exeter, author of Iraq – People, History, Politics
'A Theory of ISIS is one of the best analyses available to us. An essential book for any serious student of political violence' -- Professor Paul Rogers, Bradford University, author of Irregular War
'Scrupulously scholarly and indispensable reading for any serious student of its vital and absorbing subject' -- Professor Paul H. Gilbert, University of Hull, author of New Terror, New Wars
'A brilliant and ground-breaking analysis of ISIS. Unprecedented level of solid scholarship and deep insights into the complex phenomenon. A must-read for anyone interested in the study of political violence' -- Omar Ashour, Director Middle East Graduate Programme, University of Exeter, author of The De-radicalisation of Jihadists
'How did ISIS come so far, so fast? And where will it go next? I have yet to see such a comprehensive examination of the group's genesis, development and motives. This book deserves to be read widely' -- Tim Sebastian, award-winning former BBC foreign correspondent and presenter of HARDtalk

ISBN: 9780745399119

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

272 pages